Herb Brooks

Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team at Lake Placid. At the games, Brooks' US team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the 'Miracle on Ice'. Brooks would go on to coach multiple NHL teams, as well as the French hockey team at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and ultimately returned to coach the US men's team to a silver medal at the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Brooks was killed in a 2003 car accident. At the time of his death, Brooks was the Pittsburgh Penguins' director of player personnel.

Biography

Early life

Brooks continued his hockey career with the University of Minnesota Gophers from 1955 to 1959. He was a member of the 1960 Olympic team, only to become the last cut the week before the Games started. Three weeks later, Brooks sat at home with his father and watched the team he almost made win gold. Afterwards, Brooks "went up to the coach Jack Riley and said, 'Well, you must have made the right decision—you won.'"; this humbling moment served as motivation for an already self-driven person.

Other events the arena hosted during the 1980 games include figure skating events and the closing ceremony.

The arena has been used several times for college hockey championships in the United States. It hosted the 1984 and 1988 men's NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, commonly referred to as the Frozen Four. The arena has hosted the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship as well, in 2007. From 1993 to 2002, the arena annually hosted the ECAC Hockey League's championships every March. The ECAC announced in July 2012 that the league will crown its champion in Herb Brooks Arena for the 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16 seasons.